Tracking wristband

ABSTRACT

A method to track an individual wearing a battery-operated wearable and lockable tracking device. An identification number is provided on the tracking device or separately from the tracking device and remotely stored. Device location information about the tracking device is received from the location tracker. Based on the location information received, a determination is made whether the individual is potentially subject to a condition. In such case, the device location is tracked, and the individual is wirelessly alerted and tracked. Upon tracking, the individual is identified by scanning the QR code and revealing the personal information about the individual.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 18/171,463 filed on Feb. 20, 2023,which in turn, is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 17/937,414 filed Sep. 30, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,609,608,which in turn, is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 17/845,917 filed Jun. 21, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,460,886,which, in turn, is a continuation application of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 17/681,556, filed Feb. 25, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No.11,379,003, which, in turn, is a continuation application of U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 17/477,441, filed on Sep. 16, 2021,now U.S. Pat. No. 11,275,407, which, in turn, is a continuationapplication of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 17/323,932,filed on May 18, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,132,022, which, in turn,claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/035,114,filed Jun. 5, 2020, the contents of all of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a tracking wristband and relatedmethods of use.

BACKGROUND

With the current global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic taking almost600,000 lives in the United States and more than 3 million livesglobally, time is of the essence to develop a unified global plan, aswell as a coordinated plan within each country.

There have been various attempts to track, trace, and contactindividuals. Currently, the turnaround time and related processing,mostly based on phone communications, is of too many human hours, withan average waiting time of about a week to contact those that have beenexposed. Using the old-fashioned-way to track, trace, and contacteveryone represents a nearly impossible task.

As a consequence, there is a need for a technical solution that trackseveryone without risking their privacy and allows contacting everyonethat has been exposed faster than the current several human hours.Ability to track, trace, and contact individuals accurately andcompletely has become a necessary requirement.

SUMMARY

The tracking and passport device according to the present disclosureprovides a technical solution to help end the global pandemic for theUnited States and globally.

Advantageously, such tracking device and passport does more than justtracking and tracing, it can be used to potentially contact anyoneexposed on the same day a positive test result occurs.

The solution presented through the herein described pandemic wristbandis to be preferred to the use of cell phones as such. Using cell phonesrisks privacy and it is likely that a high percentage of individualswill not opt in, due to the ability of personal cell phones to be usedas a means to track people. Using cell phones would likely provide anunreliable reading, as only a limited number of users will adopt a newtechnology, not to mention the fact that many people do not own cellphones, or carry them at all times.

While the use of the present pandemic wristband is currently targetedwith reference to COVID-19, the person skilled in the art willunderstand that the wristband may be used for any type of pandemics. Inparticular, with any kind of pandemic, if immunity can be obtained froma disease, virus and/or infection through e.g. a vaccine, the greenlight provided by the device according to the present disclosure will besuitable for being used as a passport for the purpose not only oftravel, but also acceptance to social gathering places and events suchas restaurants, gyms, stores, entertainment and so on.

According to a first aspect, a wearable computing medical tracking andpassport device is described, comprising: a main body including a QRcode, a first indicator light and a second indicator light; a locationtracker in the main body configured to transmit device location of thecomputing device; a processor in the main body configured to process andwirelessly receive information, and a wristband coupled to the mainbody, the computing device being configured to: i) illuminate, throughthe processor, the first indicator light when the user has been exposedto a pandemic disease; and ii) illuminate, through the processor, thesecond indicator light when the user is immune from the pandemicdisease.

According to a second aspect, a wearable computing medical tracking andpassport device is described, comprising: a main body including anindicator light and a QR code; a location tracker in the main bodyconfigured to transmit device location of the computing device; and, aprocessor in the main body configured to process and wirelessly receiveinformation, the computing device being configured to: illuminate,through the processor, the indicator light with a first color when theuser has been exposed to a pandemic disease and illuminate, through theprocessor, the indicator light with a second color when the user isimmune from the pandemic disease.

In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the onlyinformation that is not user-provided is the user's name and address.All other information can be provided at the user's discretion andcontrol and can also be changed in time. In this way, any privacyconcerns are well addressed and customized on a user-by-user basis.

Given that the effectiveness of the tracking, tracing and contactingsystem described in the present application is a function of the numberof users wearing the pandemic wristband, use of such wristband maybecome mandatory before a COVID-19 (or other kind of pandemic) test isadministered if so desired by a local and/or federal authority.

The teachings of the present disclosure will allow the use of acoordinated statewide, national, and global plan to help in Phase 4(i.e. when shutdown will be lifted) and to help the pandemic throughtracking, tracing, contacting and passport indication to show immunity.The device according to the present disclosure provides anon-discriminating way to help everyone as it is configured to reacheveryone equally and can give priority testing equally.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the digital tracking and passportdevice of the disclosure, inclusive of a wristband and a screen.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary block diagram of a digital tracking andpassport device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary implementation of a wireless communicationmodule described in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary implementation of a battery management moduledescribed in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary layout of the watch face of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The medical tracking device and passport according to the presentdisclosure is intended for positive use in helping every single personthat wears it. The wristband is preferably waterproof and locks on theuser's wrist like a hospital bracelet. If desired or required, thewristband can be designed to be removable. In such case, the wristbandfastening would operate similarly to a sports band, thus also allowingthe wristband to be removed when needed from children if deemednecessary. Having a pandemic wristband that locks on like a hospitalbracelet until cut off would give more validity to the data and solutionthis would provide.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the pandemic wristband (100) according tothe present disclosure, provided by way of example and not oflimitation.

A watch face (110) is located on top of a wristband (145). The face(110) includes a first section (135) for showing a QR code for scanningpurposes, a second section (140) under the first section showing anidentification (ID) number, a third section (115, 120) to the right ofthe first section showing red (115) and green (120) lights respectively,and a fourth section (125, 130) under the ID number (140) to showwebsite information. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, presence of a red light indicates occurred exposure of theuser and necessity for priority testing. The green light indicatesimmunity.

The device further includes a location tracker, such as a GPS device,together with wireless adapter for Wi-Fi® and/or Bluetooth®connectivity. The combination of the location tracker and wirelessadapter allows tracking information about the location of the user to besent, for example, to a repository at a remote location and be saved forat least a predetermined amount of time.

The red light indicator (115) is normally in an OFF state. According tothe present disclosure, as soon as an individual has tested positive fora pandemic such as COVID-19, the related information is communicated tothe repository. By way of example and not of limitation, suchinformation can be input locally at the facility where the individualwas tested if applicable, or where the results are obtained, or simplymailed out to the repository. Upon receipt at the repository, the storedlocation information of the individual will be reviewed (preferably bymeans of software for fast track, trace, and contact, or alternativelyby human, if desired) in order to allow retrieval of the ID numbers ofany wristband wearer that was within a certain distance from thediagnosed individual. As soon as such ID numbers are traced andidentified, a contacting signal is sent to all the individualsidentified by such ID numbers to automatically turn the red light (115)ON and provide additional information through one or more website URLsin sections (125, 130). Such URL sections can provide information bothfor device initialization purposes and for testing location indication,as also explained later, to help exposed individuals find a convenientlocation to go to for priority testing and potentially prepare forquarantine. If desired, the red light indicator (115) can alsooptionally briefly flash at predetermined intervals. The flashing wouldstop as soon as testing occurs. Alternatively, the flashing could juststart and stop at predetermined or random intervals.

In other words, the red light indicator (115) indicates exposure in casethe user has come in contact or proximity to people that have testedpositive. If desired, the device may also include a vibratingarrangement to alert the user if visually impaired. The website URLscontain relevant information for testing purposes and/or requiredisolation. The exposed individuals will be able to go online and type intheir ID number to find a convenient location to go to for prioritytesting and potentially prepare for quarantine. In this respect, theinformation encoded in the device through the QR code (135) may beeasily read/scanned at testing sites, medical facilities, shelters, oradditional allocated locations, through already existing technology.

Turning now to the green light indicator (120), such indicator isautomatically activated (turned ON) by the overseeing authority once itis determined that immunity i) after recovery from COVID-19 or any otherpandemic has been persistent for a determined amount of time (e.g. 1month) or ii) after a sufficient amount of time has passed aftervaccination (e.g. 2 weeks after the first shot for 1-shot vaccines or 2weeks after the second shot for 2-shot vaccines). The potential presenceof such additional indicator (120) is preferred, as it would, forexample, allow individuals to circulate without a mask, thus equatingthe device to a medical passport. Additionally, the pandemic wristbanddisclosed herein could be scanned also at airports to allow a thirdparty to associate the green light to a specific name to be comparedwith the user's ID card or passport and provide a confirmation that thewearer is indeed free to travel.

In summary, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,priority testing will be granted to the user in case light (115) isturned on or flashes. That light will stay on or flash in case the testresults come back positive and will stay on until a) the user has metthe required amount of time taken for the user to be free of the diseaseby just quarantining or b) meeting the required testing protocols fornegative results showing a disease-free condition. On the other hand,light (120), whether in combination with the above procedure or not,will turn green to be used as a passport once immunity has beendetermined, for whatever length of time has been determined for thepandemic disease at issue.

If desired, the device according to the present disclosure can include acontrollable lock or similar arrangement to prevent the device frombeing borrowed, stolen, lost or forgotten, thus providing a strongerreliability indicator also for places that do not require IDs, such asstores or sports gatherings. In particular, there are instances in whicha removable wristband should be avoided as it could lead to a falsesense of security and higher risk of infections if not worn at all timeswhen around others.

The main body including the watch face (110) can also optionallyinclude, on its top portion, a plurality of holes (105), e.g. threeholes, for inclusion of medical alert charms or other types of charmssuch as cancer survivor, positive feeling, heart, USA charm and so on.Insertion of the charms can occur, for example, through a rubber bandlooping through the holes and then looping the charm.

In terms of initial distribution, the pandemic wristbands can be sentnationally or globally to every person by or on behalf of the U.S. orforeign government using, for example, census information. Alternativelyor in addition, such devices may be distributed at testing sites,medical facilities, shelters, through the World Health Organization,and/or additional allocated locations decided upon within each state ornation/country.

It is likely that individuals belonging to different countries may besubject to different COVID-free or pandemic-free proof requirements.However, it is clear that proof of vaccination will soon become animportant requirement of everyday life, not only nationally but alsointernationally. A possible way of implementation of the teachings ofthe present disclosure in the US (but it could equally apply to anycountry) could be that of requiring each individual travelling to the USto wear a US-regulated pandemic wristband as described herein for theduration of their stay in the US and be able to attend social events inthe US as long as a green light is shown on their device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wristbands sentthrough the census will already have name and address of the useralready downloaded and encoded through the QR code (135) together withan ID (140). The user will be able to add additional optionalinformation by accessing a website indicated on the face in sections(125, 130). On the other hand, when distributed locally, the ID number(140) may be present, while the username and address can be added byscanning the QR code (135) at the local facility in order to add suchinformation. Additional optional information can be added either at thefacility or by accessing a web link, as noted above. The person skilledin the art will understand that other initialization and updateprocedures may be possible, the above examples just showing exemplaryways of how such procedures can be performed. By way of example,visibility of the ID number (140) may be controllable by hiding, coding,encrypting and/or similarly managing the ID to protect the user'sprivacy. Additionally, the ID number may be provided to the userseparately from the wristband and/or an online access (possibly with aphone number if clarification is requested by the user) be provided forinitialization and/or further use.

By way of example, each pandemic wristband will have a person's name,address and unique ID number downloaded in the built-in wristbandprocessor and memory. Upon receipt, each person will be able to goonline and add any pertinent information that will help save their lifein the event they are infected with COVID-19 (or other kind of pandemicdisease) and especially if unresponsive. Information such as phonenumber, medical issues, allergies, whether the individual previouslytested positive or not, medication, emergency contact, number of familymembers, pets, insurance, occupation etc. will be optional and helpfulto save the wearers and notify their family or emergency contact. Inother words, only information individuals are willing to provide will bedownloaded under an ID number. Such information will then be sent to thepandemic wristband and encoded into QR code (135) without any privacyrisk, as it would instead occur in case a cell phone is used.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary block diagram of a digital tracking device(200) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Digitaltracking device (200) comprises processor or controller (210), wirelesscommunication module (220), GPS module (230), antenna module (240),display module (250), battery management module (260) and sensor module(270). Processor (210), although shown as a single module in the figure,may include one or more processors and memories, and control in generalthe functionality of the device by communicating with and providingcontrol and command signals to various other modules. As an example,ARM® Cortex®-M class microprocessors may be used when implementing thecontroller/processor (210) although other types of microprocessors mayalso be envisaged by the person skilled in the art.

Communication of the device (200) with, for example, a repository or anyother remote location to permit activation and/or deactivation of visualindicators (115) and/or (120) previously shown in FIG. 1 , is performedthrough wireless communication module (220). By way of example, transferof data may be performed through Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol (TCP/IP) communication on a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) or Global System for Mobiles (GSM) network. Depending on thedistance and location of the digital tracking device, other wirelessprotocols such as Wi-Fi® and/or Bluetooth® may also be implemented.

If desired, the digital tracking device (200) of FIG. 2 may be connectedwith other devices. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary implementation of wirelesscommunication module (220) of FIG. 2 , indicated herein as (320),including CDMA module (321), GSM module (322), Bluetooth® module (323)and Wi-Fi® module (324). Depending on the application and requirements,one or more of the wireless modules (321, . . . , 324) may beimplemented as part of the digital tracking device. Such modules may beintegrated in a single chipset, or multiple wireless chipsets. Theperson skilled in the art will understand that if such connectivity isdesired, it will have to fully respect the privacy concerns and issuesdiscussed so far.

Referring back to FIG. 2 , the location of the digital tracking devicesis tracked by the global positioning system (GPS) module (230). Antennamodule (240) may include one or more antennas coupled with GPS module(230), and one or more of the modules (321, . . . , 324) of FIG. 3 fordata transmission and reception purposes. According to the teachings ofthe present disclosure the display module (250) of FIG. 2 , one specificembodiment of which has been shown and discussed in FIG. 1 , can includeone or more of light emitting diode (LED), organic light-emitting diode(OLED), E-ink, traditional liquid crystal display (LCD), Sharp memoryLCD, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS), or soft screen. The personskilled in the art will understand that other display technologies mayalso be considered when implementing the display module (250) of FIG. 2.

With continued reference to FIG. 2 , the battery management module (260)supplies the required power to various electronic modules within thedigital tracking device (200), also depending on whether the wristbandis permanently locked like a hospital band until cut off or is removableinstead. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary implementation of battery managementmodule (260), indicated herein as (460), including battery (461),voltage regulator (462) and charger (463). The voltage of battery (461)is regulated by voltage regulator (462) to generate a regulated supplyvoltage at the output (OUT) coupled to other electronic modules. Thebattery charger (463) receives input (IN) through, for example, amini-USB connection which can be connected to a device with USBconnection such as a laptop. The battery charger (463) may also bewall-plugged in another implementation. Battery (461) may include, forexample, Li-ion and Lithium polymer batteries. Voltage regulator (462)may include, for example, a low-dropout (LDO) regulator.

FIG. 5 shows an example layout for the watch face (510) of the device.The face (510) can include a display screen (550) for displaying the QRcode and identification information (number, name, etc.). The red (515)and green (520) indicator lights are also present on the face (510). Insome embodiments, the lights are combined into a single light that iscapable of changing color between at least red and green. The lights canbe provided by, for example, light emitting diodes or other similarsmall illuminating devices. The lights can be colored lights, or whitelights shown through a color filter. In some embodiments, the lights arevirtual lights shown on the display screen (550). An area (560) of thewatch face (510) can be reserved to display other information, such aswebsite information, identifying logos, or designs specific to theorganization providing the watch. The information can be drawn or etchedon the watch face (510) or be shown on a digital screen, either separatefrom or a part of the main digital screen (550). In the embodiment wherethe information is on a digital screen, showing the information can betriggered by activation of the red indicator light. Charm loop holes(505) can be placed in the watch face (510). In some embodiments, theholes (505) are on a beveled portion (506) of the face. The layoutprovided in FIG. 5 is just an example: the various parts (505, 506, 515,520, 550, 560) can be placed in different arrangements and withdifferent relative sizes and shapes.

While an embodiment of the present disclosure has been shown with adigital display screen, additional embodiments of the present disclosureare also possible with light indicators (having the same functions asdescribed above) and a QR code not necessary part of a digital screen.Additionally, further embodiments can also be provided where a singlelight indicator is present, having the ability of being illuminated toshow a solid or flashing red color or a green color.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , digital device (200) as disclosed, ismainly used for COVID (and any other pandemics) prevention, tracking andpassport purposes. However, the person skilled in the art willappreciate that other functionalities, including but not limited tothose that can be found in smart watches, fitness trackers, and healthmonitoring devices may also be implemented as part of the design. Assuch, and in line with future technology improvements, sensor module(270) can be optionally implemented to potentially, but not necessarily,include a) heart rate and oxygen saturation level sensors, b) motionsensors such as acceleration, gyroscope, geomagnetic, and atmosphericpressure sensors, c) additional biosensors such as glucose, bloodpressure, ECG, EMG, temperature and brain wave sensors, and/or d)temperature and humidity, gas, PH, ultraviolet, ambient light, dustparticles, and pressure sensors. It is appreciated that, withoutimpacting the main application of the disclosed digital tracking device,inclusion of one or more such sensors will broaden the usage andapplications of the device.

Turning now to the general teachings of the present disclosure, itshould be noted that in the only information that is not user-providedis their name and address. All other information can be provided at theuser's discretion and control and can also be changed in time. In thisway, any privacy concerns are well addressed and customized on auser-by-user basis.

Given that the effectiveness of the tracking, tracing and contactingsystem described in the present application is a function of the numberof users wearing the pandemic wristband, use of such wristband maybecome mandatory before a COVID-19 (or other kind of pandemic) test isadministered if so desired by a local and/or federal authority.

The teachings of the present disclosure will allow the use of acoordinated statewide, national, and global plan to help in Phase 4(i.e. when shutdown will be lifted) and to help the pandemic throughtracking, tracing, contacting and passport indication to show immunity.The device according to the present disclosure provides anon-discriminating way to help everyone as it is configured to reacheveryone equally and can give priority testing equally.

As already noted in several sections of the present disclosure, whilethe use of the present pandemic wristband is currently targeted withreference to COVID-19, the person skilled in the art will understandthat the wristband may be used for any type of pandemics.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method to track an individual wearing abattery-operated wearable and lockable tracking device, thebattery-operated wearable and lockable tracking device comprising: alockable wristband; a main body connected to the wristband and includingan area configured to show medical alert charms; a QR code in the mainbody, the QR code encoding personal information about the individualwearing the wearable and lockable tracking device and configured toreveal, upon scanning, said personal information; a location tracker inthe main body configured to transmit device location of the wearable andlockable tracking device; a processor in the main body configured toprocess and wirelessly receive notification of a condition based on thewearable and lockable tracking device location transmitted by thelocation tracker; and a battery, the method comprising: providing, onthe wearable and lockable tracking device or separately from thewearable and lockable tracking device, an identification number uniquelyidentifying the wearable and lockable tracking device; storing theidentification number remotely of the wearable and lockable trackingdevice; receiving, from the location tracker, device locationinformation about the wearable and lockable tracking device; based onthe location information received, determining whether the individual ispotentially subject to the condition; in case the individual ispotentially subject to the condition, tracking the device location andwirelessly alerting the individual wearing the wearable and lockabletracking device; tracking the individual; and upon tracking of theindividual, identifying the individual wearing the wearable and lockabletracking device by scanning the QR code and revealing the personalinformation about the individual.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thewirelessly alerting the individual comprises activating an indicatorlight on the main body of the wearable and lockable tracking device. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator light is a red light. 4.The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator light is a solid light or aflashing light.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the indicator light ison a display screen of the main body.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe display screen is configured to display one or more web links to theindividual.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable and lockabletracking device is a waterproof device.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the area configured to show medical alert charms includes one ormore holes for hosting the charms, the charms being insertable by theindividual.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location tracker is aglobal positioning system (GPS) location tracker.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the wirelessly alerting the individual comprisesactivating a vibrating arrangement on the main body of the wearable andlockable tracking device.
 11. The method of claim 2, further comprisinga vibrating arrangement on the main body of the wearable and lockabletracking device.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning the QR codefurther comprises revealing additional user information inserteddirectly by the user upon initial activation and later added or editedif needed.